In her brilliant first book, Elif Batuman takes the reader on a journey both literary and actual as she traces the evolution of her fascination with Russian literature across the globe and several centuries—a deeply funny, fiercely intelligent portrait of the not-always-rational pursuit of knowledge. Though Batuman lavishes inspiring attention on the specifics of her passion, her book is really about the process of learning itself, what it feels like to be infatuated with ideas, and then letting those ideas lead you to ever more weird and wonderful places.

"An intoxicating mix of memoir, literary criticism and philosophy with Batuman's idiosyncratic character at its heart.... Charming and hilarious."—Daily Telegraph (London)